Maywood school board to vote on studying break from Hackensack High School

Maywood Superintendent Michael Jordan reacts to quotes given to The Record from a “professional” at the Hackensack board of education, saying there is no truth in the rumors that Maywood has “nowhere” to go other than Hackensack High School.
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com

Maywood Superintendent Michael Jordan speaks to a crowd of about 250 parents during an information session about the send-receive contract dispute with Hackensack on Monday, January 29, 2018.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

The Maywood Board of Education will consider severing its relationship with Hackensack High School later this month, according to the borough's superintendent.

The school board will decide whether to approve what's called a feasibility study, which is the first step in a long process to sever send-receive contracts like the one Maywood has with Hackensack.

Previously, Michael Jordan, the schools superintendent, said Maywood had not reached that stage. But because no relief has been offered and no mediation dates have been set by Hackensack, Jordan notified parents that the Maywood school board will vote on Wednesday whether to conduct the study.

Maywood is the only sending district not to agree to Hackensack's terms. South Hackensack, Rochelle Park and Maywood all send students to Hackensack High School.

Rochelle Park has already agreed to the contract, and South Hackensack tentatively agreed to a tuition contract with Hackensack on Monday.

In a closed discussion, the South Hackensack school board agreed to the send-receive contract with Hackensack in principle, said Greg Maceri, the South Hackensack superintendent. The school district will pay $14,781 per student for this school year and 5 percent less for next year.

"Its safe to say, in principle, South Hackensack is leaning toward agreeing to the offer," Maceri said.

The new three-year contract starts from the 2017-18 school year and extends until the 2019-20 school year. This school year's tuition is $14,781 per student. Next school year, there will be a 5 percent decrease. The third-year cost would remain flat.

Last month, the Maywood school board notified parents and residents that it had rejected the send-receive contract with Hackensack, claiming the tuition rates were too high and that Maywood needed relief.

"I am not privy to the South Hackensack decision," Jordan said. "Regardless, it has no impact on Maywood's position."

The 5 percent decrease, which Jordan has called "negligible," has been at the heart of Maywood's rejection of the contract. Maywood sends 233 students to Hackensack High School, nearly three times the number South Hackensack sends. The cost of this tuition has become unbearable, Jordan said.

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Further complicating discussion is a lack of meetings between the sending districts and Hackensack. In the months of contract negotiation, there has been only one meeting among the four school districts. Both Jordan and Maceri agree that Hackensack seems to refuse to sit down with them.

"Hackensack made an offer, and the school districts offered to meet with Hackensack," said Maceri. "I think its fair to say that Hackensack refused to meet with us."

If Maywood has a negotiation strategy, Hackensack school board attorney Richard Salkin said, he doesn't understand it. Last month, Salkin sent a letter to the county superintendent requesting mediation, citing an impasse. With budget season looming, Salkin sees this impasse as a concern.

"The board is about to get very deeply into its budgeting process, so there needs to be some certainty as to where we're going," he said.

In a letter sent to Maywood parents Tuesday night, Jordan claims that the Hackensack school district has already budgeted for next school year's tuition rates for this year's budget. Salkin said the 5 percent decrease has been factored into Hackensack's budget, but that the budget is not final.

"The budget has not been set," said Salkin. "Nothing is locked in for 18-19."

Seven years ago, during the last contract negotiations, Maywood conducted a feasibility study to see if it could leave Hackensack and send students to Paramus High School without negatively affecting academics, finances and racial makeup.

The Maywood school board says the cost to send its students to Hackensack High School has become too high.(Photo: northjersey.com file photo)

Discussions to sever send-receive contracts have been complicated by a precedent-setting case between Englewood and Englewood Cliffs. In 1985, the Englewood Cliffs school board tried to sever its send-receive relationship with Englewood's Dwight Morrow High School and instead send its students to Tenafly High School.

After more than a decade of litigation, the case ended with the determination that Englewood Cliffs would have to continue to send its students to Englewood's high school, citing a racial imbalance if it didn't. Maywood would have to prove it would not negatively affect the racial makeup of Hackensack High if it sent its students elsewhere.

If Maywood conducts a feasibility study, it would be at least a year before any changes take place, even if the study shows a change is feasible.

By the end of March, the Hackensack school district needs to introduce its budget for the year. If Maywood and Hackensack do not come to an agreement, the sending districts will continue to pay the same tuition, Salkin said. But Hackensack board President Jason Nunnermacker is confident that an agreement will be reached before then.

"We look forward to keeping Maywood and resolving it," said Nunnermacker. "It just can't be on the backs of the taxpayers of Hackensack."